Saturday's UFC Card In Brazil Will Take Place As Staff-Only Due To Virus

The UFC will not follow many other professional leagues and shut operations down in order to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Instead, they have announced changes to upcoming events.

Saturday's UFC card in Brazil will be staff-only, keeping fans from entering the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium to see Kevin Lee square off with Charles Oliveira.

White confirmed in an interview with MMA Fighting that he has discussed the matter with President Donald Trump and his staff, adding that they have worked with health experts, state officials and doctors to prepare for the event.

"I talked to the president and the vice president about this, and they're taking this very serious," White said. "They're saying, 'Be cautious, be careful, but live your life and stop panicking.' Everybody is panicking, and instead of panicking, we're actually getting out there and working with doctors and health officials and the government to figure out how to keep the sport safe and continue to put on events."

Cards scheduled for other dates have been moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That includes a March 28 card along with the planned April 11 event for Portland. As of now, UFC 249 featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson remains locked into Brooklyn on April 18.